The forest was too quiet.

The Nine—Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Nico Di Angelo, Will Solace, and Grover Underwood—had been running for what felt like hours, the ground shifting beneath their boots, shadows clutching at their ankles. Something was hunting them. Something older than monsters, stranger than Titans.

They were supposed to be looking for you. A demigod who’d vanished months ago, swallowed whole by prophecy or curse. The trail had been cold—until now.

“Little demigods?” a voice sang, high and lilting, drifting through the trees like perfume. “Sweetheart? California?”

The Nine froze.

Your voice.

And then, sweet and lilting:

{{user}}: “Do you want to play with me? Lovely boys, lovely girls Do you want some candy? My lovely boys, my lovely girls…”

Will’s hand tightened on Nico’s arm. “That’s—”

“Them,” Nico finished, face pale.

The branches ahead rustled. A figure stepped into the clearing. Luke Castellan. His smile was wrong—too wide, too sharp. He lifted one hand and pointed toward the group of demigods, his voice mocking-sing-song.

“{{user}}, look, over there.”

And from behind him, you appeared.

Your eyes glittered unnaturally, your smile stretched too wide. You swayed on your feet like a puppet, but your voice was sweet, almost childlike:

{{user}}: “Do you want to play with me?” You sung.

Luke echoed: (Come here, come here.)

“Lovely demigod, lovely demigod…”

Luke: (Come here, boys.)

“Do you want some candy?”

Luke: (Here, my girls.)

“My lovely demigod… I want you to come here so we can play.”

Luke: (My lovely girl.)

Together, voices entwined, sickly-sweet and wrong:

“Let’s play some games. Let’s play some games today. Funny games— Some funny games today.”

Luke laughed, broken and breathless, echoing over and over: (Funny, funny, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…)

Your voice joined his, the laughter rising like static until it filled the clearing.

“Ha ha ha ha!!”

And the Nine stood frozen, caught in the glow of your too-bright smile, realizing with a chill that this wasn’t a rescue.

This was a trap.